INLAND: Fast action on medical marijuana court ruling

Inland cities and counties that have banned medical marijuana dispensaries are expected to act quickly to close down the operations now that a court ruling has upheld the prohibitions.

Attorneys for the dispensaries vowed to appeal and warned that the legal fight is far from over.

Riverside has already filed court orders to close down the cityâs estimated 15 medical marijuana dispensaries. âWe are working on this right now,â City Attorney Greg Priamos said. âWe will be moving immediately to take action.â

Jurupa Valley City Attorney Peter Thorson said the appellate court decision this week advanced the cityâs effort to close down the 22 medical marijuana dispensaries that officials believe are operating within that city.

âThe decision unequivocally establishes that cities have the right to prohibit dispensaries under their zoning ordinances,â Thorson said.

Thorson said city officials are still mulling their options â" including seeking a court injunction â" to shut down the operations.

Medical poll

The list of Inland governments that ban medical marijuana dispensaries includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties and the cities of Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands, Hemet, San Jacinto, Corona, Norco, Moreno Valley, Murrieta and Temecula.

The published decision from the Riverside-based division of the 4th District Court of Appeal, makes it the rule of law in Riverside, San Bernardino and Inyo counties. It also can be cited throughout the state.

Cities are combining the leverage of the court ruling with the federal governmentâs recent crackdown on dispensaries.

Marijuana is illegal under federal law. But California courts have ruled that federal law does not pre-empt the stateâs Compassionate Use Act or Medical Marijuana Program.

Federal agencies can act on their own. Last month, Californiaâs four U.S. attorneys started targeting dispensaries they said were not in compliance with federal or state law.

Riversideâs Priamos emphasized that the cityâs efforts to close remaining dispensaries will be done in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Recent letters from cities and counties to landlords who lease to the dispensaries inform them that their property could be subject to federal confiscation.

âIn Riverside, the storefront dispensaries have nothing to do with compliance of the Compassionate Use Act or the Medical Marijuana Program and are flat-out illegal under federal law. They are commercial, retail distribution centers of a Schedule 1 drug,â said Priamos, referring to the federal classification of marijuana as a substance with no medical value.

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